Table



T. J. ARBRON Jan. 6, 1942.

TABLE Filed April 29, 1940 INVENTOR. 720/1705 J fi/nrofl ATTORNEY.

the manner of securing-legs thereto.

Patented Jan. 6, 1942 TABLE Thomas J. Arbron, Royal Oak, Mich assignorto Capac Manufacturing Company, Oapac, Mich a corporation of MichiganApplication April 29, 1940, Serial No. 332,126

' 6 Claims. (or. 311-106) This invention relates to table constructionthe object being to provide a new and improved table having legs for thesupportthereof and a top comprising a flat body portion including a rimformed of a plastic material and a truss sheet 5' of plastic material,likewise having a rim, attached to the rim of the body portion andspaced from the body at the rim and in contact with the body at thecenter and providing a structure that is resistant to torsionalstrains-tending to deflect the body in its plane.

A further feature and object of the invention is to provide legs, theupper ends of which are attached to the under side of the top and extendthrough apertures provided in the truss sheet whereby the said legs arebraced, the whole providing a light weight, rigid construction adaptingthe same for various uses as for instance, card tables either of a roundor'rectangular form an thatis inexpensive in construction.

These and various other objects and novel features of the invention arehereinafter more fully described and claimed and the preferred form ofconstruction of a table'embodying my inven tion is shown in theaccompanying drawing in F which- Fig. 1 is a vertical section showingthe top and truss sheet forming a part'thereof.

Fig. 2 is .a fragmentary section through the table top showing theconstruction thereof and Fig. 3 is a similar view showing a foldable legsecured to the top.

Fi 4 is a view of the under side of the table top of rectangular form. v

The table, whether of round or rectangular ,form, is of lightconstruction particularly in'respect to the top I, it being.preferablyformed of a plurality of superimposed paper-like sheetsimpregnated with-a resin of either the thermo-setting or thermo-plastictype. The sheets are first thoroughly impregnated and coated with theresin, or other material adaptable for the purpose, and are shaped underheat and pressure to form a depending peripheral rim 2 and a fiat bodyportion 3, as shown more clearly in Fig. 2. In the formation of the topseveral of the layers or plies are depressed inwardly of the under sideof the top, at the points to which the legs are to be attached, to forma seat 3 and, after a certain number of layers have been positioned inthe form and'shaped at the points required to form the seats 3, a headedscrew 4 is passed therethrough and projects to below the seat. The

remainder of the resin impregnated and coated -5 to the saidseat 1.

sheets, are then positioned thereover and the wholethen positioned in amold and pressed thereinto under heat and pressure to shape the sameandset the resin. The plies may be of greater or less number dependingsomewhat upon the peripheral dimensions of the table but the top, as sofar described, may tend to warp under torsional strains that may beresident in the top member and further is of such light weight as to bereadily distorted.

To prevent distortion of thebody portion 3 of the table top, I provide atruss sheet '5 formed of the same material but usually with a lessnumber of superimposed sheets than is utilized in the formation of thebody portion 3a. The

truss member or sheet Shas a'flangeii secured to the lower edge of theflange 2 and is of a cone like form in the round table and is attachedat the center to the center of the under side of the body portion 3 ofthe said top. In tables of the small diameter, suitable for use as acard table for instance, the truss sheet 5 may be secured at its centerto the center of the portion3 of the top by the resin itself and I havefound this arrangement sufficiently strong and durable as to becommercially satisfactory. However, the

top may be provided with a seat I at the under side of its center and ascrew bolt 8 extending therethrough and through the center of the sheet5. A nut 9 is provided for clamping the sheet The legs in may be of anydesired formsuch as the sheet metal form shown and the sheet 5 at theseveral points through which legs are to extend is formed with a slit oraperture ll, shown in Fig. 4,: of a shape corresponding to the shape ofthe legs in cross section in'the plane of the truss sheet. The legs arefirst fastenedv with theirbases l5'engaging the seats 3 subsequent tothe formation of the top 3a. The bases are apertured to receive thescrew or bolt 4 and the nut 15 is then tightened up tofix the legs totheseat.

The apertures truss sheet 5 is then passed over the free ends of thelegs to the position shown in mg. 2 with the rim 6 of the trusssheet'secured to the rim 2 of the top andthe bolt 8 extends throughacentral aperture of the truss sheet and the nut 9 then tightened up.Preferably the truss sheet at its points ,of contact with table top ofgreat strength and non-warpable under normal conditions of use.

. The sheets to be used in the formation of the body portion and thetruss sheet may be of any type that will readily absorb the resin inliquid condition and I have found that a suitable sheet is thecommercially known Kraft brown paper. In the small tables, at least, thebody portion of the top need not be more than one-sixteenth of an inchin thickness. As the resin sets hard it forms a smooth surface to whicha surface color may be applied if desired or the resin may contain asuitable color. Although the top portion 3a is quite thin, the trusssheet 5 associated therewith, as stated, provides a top structure soresistant to torsional strain or deflections of the body portion in itsplace that one may not deflect the same by manual stresses to which thetop may be submitted in its normal use.

While I have shown a rigid non-flexible le III which is desirable inmany instances of use, a foldable leg may be provided as is desirable incard table structure. Such a leg I have illustrated in Fig. 3 at IT.This leg is pivoted at l8 to a bracket member I9 which has a flange 20at its upper end for securing to the seat 3 by the bolt 4 by means ofthe nut 20a. The leg may be pivoted in any approved manner and by anyapproved means now commonly in use.

In Fig. 4 I have shown a table of rectangular form the view being takenfrom the under side of the table. The table has an outer flange 2a towhich is secured, on the inside, a flange 2| of the rectangular trusssheet 22, which is secured at its center 23 to the center of the bodyportion after the manner hereinbefore described in respect to the trusssheet 5. Due to the truss sheet 22 being of rectangular form, the trusssheet 22 will have valleys 24 as shown by the radial lines. The legswill be attached in the same manner as described in respect to Fig, 2and extend through the slit ll of a shape in cross section correspondingto the shape of the leg portion occupying the slit.

The invention is not confined to the use of a thermosetting resin as itmay be formed of other hardened cementitious material. The thermosettingtype, however, is believed the more durable. It is also to be understoodthat the leg portions may be secured to the under side of the portion 3aof the table top by means other than that hereinbefore described andthat various changes may be made in the structure without departing fromthe spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appendedclaims.

Having thus briefly described my invention, its utility and mode ofoperation, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of theUnited States is:

1. In a table, a table top comprising a comparatively thin and flexiblesheet of material having a rim extending from one side thereof, a trusssheet of coned form attached at its center to the center of the bodyportion and at its periphery to the inner face of the body rim at itsedge and providing a means preventing distortion of the top in itsplane, and leg elements extending through the truss sheet adjacent toand spaced from the body rim and attached at the upper ends to theunderside of the top.

2. In a table, a table top comprising a flat body portion having adepending peripheral rim, a

truss sheet of a like material of cone form having a rim portion less indepth than the depth of the body rim and secured to the inner face ofthe body rim at its lower edge and attached at its center to the underside of the body at its center, and providing a means for preventingmaterial distortion of the body in its plane, and leg elements extendingthrough an aperture provided in the truss sheet adjacent the rim andsecured at its upper edge to the underside of the table top a distancefrom the rim of the top.

3. In a table, a table top comprising a flat body portion having adepending peripheral rim, and a truss sheet having the form of a coneattached at its periphery to the free edge of said depending body rimthereby spacing the truss piece at its periphery a distance from theunder side of the flat body portion, means having one end embedded inthe underside of the body portion and having a projecting end forattaching the truss at its center to the center of the body portion,said truss providing a means for preventing distortion of the bodyportion in its plane.

4. In a table, a table top comprising a flat body portion having anintegral depending peripheral rim and formed of a number of plies ofsuperimposed sheets of material impregnated with a self-hardeningcementitious material, a truss sheet attached at its periphery to theinner face of the body rim adjacent its free edge and at its center tothe center of the body whereby the said truss sheet at any radial crosssection lies at an angle to the plane of the body to support the samefrom deflection, said truss sheet being formed to permit the legelements I to be introduced therethrough, and means depending from theunder side of the table top for securing the upper ends of the legsthereto and providing in association with the truss sheet a meanspreventing lateral displacement of the legs.

5. In a table, a table top comprising a flat body portion having anintegral peripheral rim depending from the under side thereof, a trusssheet of similar form in outline attached at its periphery to thedepending edge of the said body rim and at its center to the center ofthe body, and lying at an angle to the body at any radial section, andlegs for the said table, the truss sheet having an aperture throughwhich each leg extends, and means for fastening the end of the leg tothe under side of the body portion, the legs fitting the respectiveaperture in such manner as to provide a brace tending to prevent unduestrain being applied to the leg fastening means.

6. In a table, a table top of desired peripheral form, said top beingformed of a series of plies of plastic impregnated sheet material andshaped under heat and pressure to provide a peripheral rim on one sidethereof, a plastic impregnated truss sheet formed of plies of materialand having a rim of less depth than the body rim and attached at itsperiphery to the inner face of the body rim and spacing the periphery ofthe truss sheet from the under face of the body portion at the rim,said-truss sheet having an aperture for each of the legs to be providedfor the table and a metal'fastening means on the under side of I thebody accessible through the said apertures for securing the legsthereto.

THOMAS J. ARBRON.

